Li Jinshui

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Li Jinshui (李金水)
Alias(es)	Decurion Li; Commander Li 17 26
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Age	17 at the beginning of the story 1
Affiliation	North-Rejecting City garrison; formerly the Death Squad Camp and Third Battalion; later the Personal Guard Battalion 5 26
Occupation/Role	Soldier; former Squad Leader and Decurion; Personal Guard Battalion member 6 17 26
Status	Alive; reaches the Pulse-Opening Realm while fleeing the fallen North-Rejecting City 50
First Appearance	Sea of Corpses and Blood 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Body Forging Second Layer	4	His panel identifies him at the second layer, with Iron Shirt already progressing through combat and training.
Body Forging Third Layer	4	Breaks through after killing a Di Five-Man Squad Leader at the peak of the fourth layer.
Body Forging Fifth Layer	5	Reaches the required level to leave the Death Squad Camp; is reassigned to the Third Battalion as a Squad Leader.
Body Forging Sixth Layer	8	Kills a Di centurion during the Eagle Beak Ravine battle; Army-Breaking Saber Technique reaches perfection.
Body Forging Seventh Layer Peak	13	Achieves the peak after a month of patrols and skirmishes, including 23 enemy kills.
Body Forging Eighth Layer	14	Uses points gained from killing Wang Tiezhu and Di soldiers to advance Iron Shirt from the seventh to eighth layer.
Body Forging Ninth Layer	23	Reaches the ninth layer during the Di assault on North-Rejecting City; his Iron Shirt, Wolf Killing Seven Forms, and Tiger Walk are perfected.
Body Tempering Peak	25	Reaches the peak while defending the city wall against a retaliatory Di assault.
Inner Strength Realm	25	Forcefully crosses from body tempering into Inner Strength through the Evergreen Art.
Inner Strength Realm, Mid-stage	29	Uses accumulated points to develop the Evergreen Art and advances while holding a breach in the city wall.
Inner Strength Realm, Late Stage	40	Breaks through while escaping a Pulse-Opening Realm pursuer during the war of attrition.
Pulse-Opening Realm	50	Activates the Green Emperor Indestructible Scripture with accumulated points after killing a mid-stage Pulse-Opening Di soldier.

Background / History

Li Jinshui is an orphan and transmigrator who hauled corpses to save ten taels of silver for martial-arts training. After his parents' deaths, the Li Clan provided him neither food nor support; clan head Li Houde confiscated his savings to secure Li Jinbao a constable position, then had Li Jinshui forcibly enlisted in the Death Squad Camp. During his removal from the city, the Killing System bound to him, allowing him to gain Killing Points through slaughter 1 2.

In the Death Squad Camp, he trained obsessively in the Army-Breaking Saber Technique and Iron Shirt, often practicing beyond the limits of the other recruits. Hunter Han trained with him during the nights, but died in the first major wall battle; Li Jinshui avenged him by killing the Di squad leader responsible. He later fought alongside Monkey through repeated assaults, reached Body Forging Fifth Layer, and escaped the camp's cannon-fodder status through reassignment to the Third Battalion 2 3 5.

His rapid rise continued in the Third Battalion. He defeated established Squad Leaders to secure command of Squad Jia, then advanced through patrols and battles. After Wang Tiezhu spent a month suppressing and monitoring him over suspicions surrounding his brother's death, Li Jinshui killed Wang during a mountain pursuit, staged the death as a Di attack, and used the resulting points to reach the eighth layer of Body Forging. He later defeated Qin Lie in a decurion competition and gained command of ten men 6 12 14 16 17.

Once able to enter North-Rejecting City freely, Li Jinshui began exacting revenge on the Li Clan. He had Li Jinbao beaten at Gathering Worthies Restaurant, massacred the clan's collateral branch, accepted fifty taels from Li Houde without forgiving him, and later killed Li Jinbao, Madam Wang, and Second Aunt in the Li Family Compound 18 20 27.

Governor Zhao Zheng recognized Li Jinshui's potential, granted him access to the Scripture Pavilion, and promised him entry into the Personal Guard Battalion after he reached the Inner Strength Realm. Li Jinshui obtained the Evergreen Art and Rock Body, later fulfilled that condition, and gained unrestricted access to the pavilion's techniques. He subsequently acquired the White Tiger Blade Technique, Marching Step, Inch Step, and Iron Thread Fist 21 23 26.

During the prolonged defense of North-Rejecting City, Li Jinshui became known for surviving a pursuit by a Pulse-Opening Realm warrior. The Seventh Prince rewarded him with the Green Emperor Indestructible Scripture and a Heavenly Cloud Sect entry token. After the city's fall, he fled with Monkey and Er Gou, hunted Di search parties for points, then killed Yun Ruoxi and reached the Pulse-Opening Realm 40 42 45 50.

Personality

Li Jinshui is intensely disciplined and survival-driven. Even before gaining the system, he accepted exhausting corpse-hauling work to fund training; after entering the Death Squad Camp, he became its most silent and desperate trainee 1 2.

He is controlled under pressure and prefers preparation over open confrontation. He endured Wang Tiezhu's intimidation without reacting, waited for a battlefield opportunity, then concealed the killing so effectively that Wang's own subordinates testified in his favor 12 14 15.

As a commander, he values the survival of useful comrades. He orders Er Gou and his squad to retreat rather than die against a stronger opponent, saves Old Zhou and Xiao Sun during the mountain campaign, and brings Monkey into his unit after Monkey leaves the Death Squad Camp 7 15 21.

His loyalty is limited by his resentment and ambition. The Li Clan's betrayal leaves him cold, calculating, and vindictive; he systematically terrorizes and kills members of the family. He also refuses Yun Ruoxi's offer to become a Yun Family retainer, choosing independence over protection from a powerful clan 18 20 27 41.

Abilities & Skills

Killing System

The Killing System records techniques and awards Killing Points for enemy kills, letting Li Jinshui bypass his low-grade aptitude through direct upgrades.

• Gains Killing Points by killing opponents, with stronger enemies granting more points 1 14 46.
• Can invest points into techniques to force breakthroughs during or after combat 3 14 38.
• Records martial manuals immediately after he reads them, allowing new techniques to appear on his panel 11 26.
• Its advancement depends on opportunities to kill; he repeatedly seeks dangerous battles and Di patrols to fuel it 13 45.

Iron Shirt and Rock Body

Li Jinshui's defensive cultivation begins with Iron Shirt, a hard qigong technique that develops alongside his Body Forging realm. After entering the Inner Strength Realm, he adds the stronger Rock Body technique.

• Iron Shirt reduces bleeding and suppresses pain after severe injuries 3.
• At the ninth layer, it grants notable recovery and lets him endure attacks from Inner Strength opponents 24 25.
• Rock Body gives his skin a stone-blue sheen and renders attacks from Body Forging opponents largely ineffective 29.
• Rock Body is powerful but initially required the Inner Strength Realm before it could be cultivated 21 22.

Blade Arts

Li Jinshui specializes in aggressive saber and blade techniques, refining his styles through both practice and combat.

• Army-Breaking Saber Technique — His first martial art; advances from Initiated to Perfected during his early military service 2 8.
• Wolf Killing Seven Forms — An advanced saber technique that inherits proficiency from his perfected Army-Breaking Saber Technique; reaches Grand Completion before the decurion competition 11 16.
• White Tiger Blade Technique — His principal Inner Strength Realm blade art, noted for overwhelming killing intent and solidified blade aura at Great Success 26 36.
• He uses the White Tiger Blade Technique to contend with stronger Inner Strength enemies and eventually pressure Tuoba Feng despite Tuoba's superior realm 37 38.

Movement and Close-Quarters Combat

Li Jinshui supplements his blade work with footwork and unarmed techniques.

• Tiger Walk — Short-range evasive footwork that enhances the reach and timing of his Wolf Killing Seven Forms 13.
• Inch Step — Allows sudden, close-range repositioning; he uses it to evade attacks and close distance against Inner Strength opponents 29 45.
• Marching Step — A long-distance movement technique selected after the strain of extended travel during a night raid 26.
• Iron Thread Fist — A close-quarters fist art whose strikes penetrate to the bones and internal organs; it kills an early Inner Strength Di decurion in the forest 26 45.

Internal Cultivation

Li Jinshui uses the Evergreen Art as his core Inner Strength cultivation method.

• The Evergreen Art supplies sustained internal energy, allowing him to fight far longer than ordinary soldiers 29.
• Its regenerative qualities accelerate his recovery while hunting Di search teams after North-Rejecting City's fall 46.
• It shares an origin with the Green Emperor Indestructible Scripture, both being foundational methods of the Heavenly Cloud Sect 42.

Green Emperor Indestructible Scripture

A Pulse-Opening Realm cultivation technique bestowed by the Seventh Prince.

• Received alongside a Heavenly Cloud Sect entry token for Li Jinshui's battlefield service 42.
• He uses accumulated points to initiate it and break into the Pulse-Opening Realm 50.
• Its full capabilities remain undocumented at the time of his breakthrough.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black Iron Blade — Obtained after Tuoba Feng breaks his military saber; remains Li Jinshui's weapon during his escape from North-Rejecting City 37 45.
• Personal Guard Battalion Order Token — A gold token granting unrestricted access to the General's Mansion Scripture Pavilion 26.
• Green Emperor Indestructible Scripture — Pulse-Opening Realm cultivation manual awarded by the Seventh Prince 42.
• Heavenly Cloud Sect jade token — Entry credential to the Heavenly Cloud Sect, awarded alongside the Green Emperor Indestructible Scripture 42.

Relationships

• Monkey (Hou San) — Closest comrade and fellow Death Squad Camp survivor; later joins Li Jinshui's unit and flees North-Rejecting City with him 5 21 45.
• Er Gou — Loyal subordinate who repeatedly follows Li Jinshui into danger and survives the city's fall alongside him 7 15 45.
• Hunter Han — Early training partner who helps Li Jinshui practice Iron Shirt; dies on the city wall and is avenged by Li Jinshui 2 3.
• Zhou Kui — Third Battalion commander who recognizes Li Jinshui's skill, assigns him Squad Jia, and later promotes him through the military ranks 6 17.
• Zhao Zheng — Governor and benefactor who gives Li Jinshui cultivation resources and admits him to the Personal Guard Battalion 21 26.
• Qin Lie — Former rival in the decurion competition who becomes a military companion and supports Li Jinshui's retaliation against Li Jinbao 16 18.
• Li Houde — Li Clan head who steals Li Jinshui's savings and sells him into the Death Squad Camp; later begs Li Jinshui for mercy 1 20.
• Li Jinbao — Li Jinshui's cousin and a city constable; participated in sending him to the Death Squad Camp and is later killed during Li Jinshui's revenge 1 27.
• Wang Tiezhu — Superior who suspects Li Jinshui of killing his brother and persecutes him through dangerous patrol assignments; Li Jinshui kills him and disguises the murder as a battlefield death 12 14 15.
• Tuoba Feng — Northern Di royal guard and recurring blade rival; their repeated duels drive both fighters to improve 37 38 39.
• Yun Ruoxi — Arrogant Yun Family cultivator who first investigates and attempts to recruit Li Jinshui; he later kills her while fleeing the fallen city 33 41 50.
• Seventh Prince — Royal expert who saves Li Jinshui from a Pulse-Opening Realm pursuer and rewards him with sect resources 40 42.

Notable Quotes

“My blade.” 16

“I have accepted the silver; this is what you owed me. But what you owe me is more than just silver.” 20